She looked at the city below.
Marcus entered.
"The prosecutor accepted the evidence."
She turned.
"Will she be arrested?"
"Yes."
Khloe exhaled.
She expected to feel victorious.
Instead, she felt exhausted.
"Marcus?"
"Yes?"
"What happens to us?"
He walked toward her.
"Whatever you want."
Khloe looked at him.
"I don't want revenge."
"I know."
"I want peace."
Marcus took her hand.
"Then that's what we'll build."
For the first time since the attack, Khloe smiled.
But neither of them knew that Isabella still had one final move.
And this time, she wasn't planning to attack Khloe.
She was planning to destroy Marcus.
Isabella disappeared the morning before her scheduled interview with investigators.
Her lawyer claimed she was overwhelmed.
Her security team claimed she needed medical attention.
Daniel didn't believe either explanation.
He knew Isabella was running.
The police issued an alert.
Marcus increased security around Khloe.
But Isabella had already prepared.
She released a final statement.
It was carefully written.
She claimed she had been manipulated.
She claimed Victor had pressured her.
She claimed Marcus had promised her a future.
And most dangerously, she claimed Marcus had known about everything.
The accusation spread across the internet.
For several hours, the Thorne family faced another storm.
Marcus's board called an emergency meeting.
Investors demanded answers.
News outlets questioned whether Marcus had participated in a cover-up.
Khloe watched the reports from her hospital room.
She looked at Marcus.
"She's trying to make them doubt you."
"I know."
"Can they?"
Marcus smiled.
"Not if we show them the truth."
Daniel entered the room.
"We found her."
Marcus stood.
"Where?"
"An airport hotel."
"Is she alone?"
"No."
Daniel placed a photograph on the table.
Isabella was standing beside Victor.
Victor had apparently escaped custody.
Marcus looked at the photograph.
"They're together."
Daniel nodded.
"They're planning to leave the country."
Police moved quickly.
But Isabella made one final mistake.
She contacted Marcus.
Not through a lawyer.
Not through a third party.
Directly.
His phone rang.
He answered.
"Marcus."
Her voice was soft.
"Where are you?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does to me."
"You attacked my wife."
"I made a mistake."
"You tried to destroy her."
"I was angry."
"You lied."
"I was afraid."
Marcus closed his eyes.
"Why?"
Silence.
Then Isabella whispered:
"Because I loved you."
Marcus shook his head.
"You didn't love me."
"I did."
"No."
His voice became colder.
"You loved what you thought I could give you."
She began crying.
"You never gave me a chance."
"You had every chance."
"I could have made you happy."
"You tried to destroy my family."
"I could still fix this."
"No."
Marcus ended the call.
Daniel looked at him.
"She wanted you to say something she could use."
"I know."
The entire call had been recorded.
Another piece of evidence.
Another mistake.
The police found Isabella and Victor that night.
Victor surrendered.
Isabella refused.
She insisted she had done nothing wrong.
But the evidence was overwhelming.
The hospital footage.
The messages.
The financial transfers.
The phone records.
The corporate documents.
The attempted hacking.
The recorded call.
The prosecutor built the case carefully.
Weeks later, Isabella stood in court.
This time, there were no cameras in a private hospital room.
There were no chandeliers.
No champagne glasses.
No elegant red gown.
She stood before a judge in plain clothing.
Marcus sat behind the prosecution.
Khloe sat beside him.
She was now eight months pregnant.
When Isabella looked at her, Khloe didn't look away.
The judge reviewed the evidence.
The prosecutor described the attack.
Then the larger conspiracy.
Isabella's attorney attempted to argue that the assault had been an emotional outburst.
But the financial evidence contradicted it.
The messages contradicted it.
The planning contradicted it.
And the video destroyed the final defense.
The judge watched the recording.
No one spoke.
When it ended, the courtroom remained silent.
The judge looked at Isabella.
"You knowingly attacked a pregnant woman."
Isabella lowered her eyes.
"You then falsely accused the victim."
Silence.
"And you participated in a broader scheme involving financial fraud, theft of confidential information, and attempted manipulation of corporate control."
Isabella began crying.
But nobody moved to comfort her.
The judge continued.
"Your actions did not merely damage another person. They endangered an unborn child and attempted to destroy a family through deception."
The sentence was severe.
Isabella would spend years in prison.
Victor would face separate charges.
The executives involved would also be prosecuted.
When the hearing ended, Khloe walked outside with Marcus.
Reporters waited.
Questions came from every direction.
"Khloe, do you forgive Isabella?"
Khloe stopped.
She looked toward the cameras.
"I don't think forgiveness means pretending nothing happened."
The reporters became silent.
"She hurt me. She endangered my child. She lied."
Khloe took Marcus's hand.
"But I refuse to let what she did decide the rest of my life."